Colvin Run Elementary School is growing, said assistant principal Keith Eck, who was added as a third administrator this year. The school as a whole is growing in number, said Eck, with about 900 students this year. Several new classrooms are also being added, he said.

"We're going on a theme of celebrating what’s good about our students and our school," said Eck. This theme will be combined with a schoolwide character education program, with a focus on compassion, honesty and respect, he said.

Cunningham Park Elementary

1001 Park St. SE

Vienna, VA 22180

703-255-5600

Principal: Lisa Mank

Lisa.Mank@fcps.edu

Web site: www.fcps.edu/CunninghamParkES/

Back-to-School Night: Thursday, Sept. 22, 7 p.m.

No major changes to report this year, wrote Lisa Mank, principal of Cunningham Park Elementary School via e-mail. English as a Second Language (ESOL), special education and gifted and talented resource programs will continue this year, and the bell schedule will also remain the same.

Cunningham Park completed its renovation several years ago, wrote Mank. The school has three learning cottages, and enrollment is steady at about 345 students, so additional trailers won't be needed this year.

"Our custodial crew has been working hard all summer cleaning the inside of our school and working to beautify the outside as well," wrote Mank. The staff and PTA are also working on the courtyard so that classes may use it throughout the school year, with landscaping made possible by teacher Todd MacBeth and donations from the Merrifield Garden Center.

Special focuses this year include literacy skills, non-fiction reading and writing, and implementing flexible math groups, wrote Mank. Sixth graders will also face a compacted math curriculum so that they can participate in the seventh grade math curriculum, she wrote.

Faculty and staff will continue to work with the Character Counts program of values as well as the "Kids of Character" manners program, wrote Mank. They will focus on being a professional learning community, and will work to prepare for the Standards of Learning tests.

Welcome Back Breakfast: Tuesday, Sept. 13 , first and sixth grades; Wednesday, Sept. 14, second and fifth grades; and Thursday, Sept. 15, third and fourth grades

It is Flint Hill Elementary School’s 50th birthday this year, wrote principal Sal Rivera in an e-mail. The school will celebrate with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 50 years after Flint Hill first opened.

“This will be an exciting first day for the graduating class of 2018,” wrote Rivera.

Nearly 700 students will enroll at Flint Hill this year, wrote Rivera. Flint Hill Elementary School will continue to work with “Up to PAR,” a positive behavior system researched at Johns Hopkins University that stands for “Preventing, Acting upon, and Resolving” behavior issues, wrote Rivera. Positive behaviors such as respect, safety, following directions, being prepared, and cooperating with others will coincide with Flint Hill’s schoolwide expectations, the "Flint Hill Falcon Five," said Rivera. The school will conduct monthly meetings to review the plan, he said.

Flint Hill is also working to starting a schoolwide focus on journalism for next year, wrote Rivera.

Freedom Hill Elementary

1945 Lord Fairfax Road

Vienna, VA 22182

703-506-7800

Principal: Anita Lynch

Anita.Lynch@fcps.edu

Web site: www.fcps.edu/FreedomHillES/

Open House: Thursday, Sept. 1, 2 - 3 p.m.

Back-to-School Night: Thursday, Sept. 22, 6 p.m.

Parents and students at Freedom Hill Elementary School can expect a focus on nonfiction writing this year, said principal Anita Lynch. Freedom Hill faculty will implement a program called "literary collaborative," said Lynch, which involves extensive teacher training, on-site coaching, mentoring, planning and instruction from outside the classroom. Freedom Hill will take the Cluster II focus on nonfiction reading and incorporate it into writing, said Lynch.

Enrollment is down slightly, said Lynch, and so fourth and fifth grade will be combined into one class.

"We will continue to provide a balanced educational program for all students," said Lynch.

Last year, Freedom Hill partnered with Wachovia Bank, said Lynch, and hopes to partner with them again this year.

This year, 480 students enrolled at Freedom Hill, including preschool, head start and special education programs, she said.

Louise Archer Elementary

324 Nutley St.

NW, Vienna, VA 22180

703-937-6200

Principal: Dwayne Young

Dwayne.Young@fcps.edu

Web site: www.fcps.edu/LouiseArcherES/

Back-to-School Night: Thursday, Sept. 29, 7:30 p.m.

Louise Archer Elementary School prepares for its largest ever student body at 690 students, said principal Dwayne Young. To accommodate the growth, said Young, a 10-room modular addition will completed in the fall.

A few staffing changes have occurred this year, said Young, including Dolores Hallstalk, who retired last year after teaching at Louise Archer for over 30 years.

"We're seeing a lot of new faces, but we're excited and ready for a very nice transition," said Young.

A major goal will be making sure every student is at his or her grade level, and faculty will work in professional learning communities to reach this goal, said Young. Nonfiction writing and increasing student achievement is also a main focus, he said.

Louise Archer will continue to work with other schools to share best practices and find ways to use this shared knowledge better, said young, with grade level teams getting together periodically throughout the year.

Marshall Road Elementary

730 Marshall Road S.W.

Vienna, VA 22180

703-937-1500

Principal: Judith Isaacson

Judith.Isaacson@fcps.edu

Web site: www.fcps.edu/MarshallRoadES/

Open House: Friday, Sept. 2, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

PTA First Meeting: Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m.

Ice Cream Social: Sept. 15

Welcome Tea: Sept. 22

Back-to-School Night: Sept. 28, 7 p.m.

Donuts for Dad: Sept. 30

Marshall Road transformed its hallways into roadways, which have been named for positive qualities such as Respectful Way, Responsibility Road, Caring Court, and Fairness Avenue, according to Assistant Principal Michelle Dohr in an e-mail interview. "We are creating an innovative learning environment through increased collaboration, co-teaching and differentiated instruction," wrote Dohr.

Marshall Road is also focusing on technology this year, working to further integrate technology into the curriculum, wrote Dohr. The school has new laptops, which are a part of the mobile lab. Parents and students will also have increased access to school and classroom information on Blackboard.com.

Mosby Woods Elementary School will be expanding in a few ways this year, said principal Mahri Aste. A 10-room modular building will be added onto the back of the school, she said. Also, the Gifted and Talented Center will include the fifth grade this year.

Mosby Woods has a partnership with the Kennedy Center to integrate the arts into the school curriculum, said Aste.

About 580 students are enrolled at Mosby Woods this year, 50 percent of whom are English as a Second Language (ESOL) students, said Aste. The Title 1 school will receive more support for reading and math this year, she said, with new books and new computers for the computer lab. Mosby Woods will also has a mobile lab, with laptops for the students to use, said Aste. As far as staffing goes, said Aste, the school will have a new teacher on every grade level.

"We're going to continue the great things we have happening here," said Aste. "We're excited for a great school year."

Due to the extensive renovations still in progress, Navy is not adding any new programs this year. "We are continuing our upper-grade compacted math program and will be adding new programs next year," said Assistant Principal Mark Bibbee. Renovation will be completed by the spring, said Bibbee. Navy will have a new wing, improved cafeteria and gymnasium, and the old building will be refurbished as well, according to Bibbee.

Enrollment is holding steady at 800 students. "We've added an extra morning kindergarten, which makes five sections," said Bibbee. Among Navy's key goals are becoming an advanced professional learning center and improving student test scores. "Our main concern is raising test scores from proficient to advanced," said Bibbee.

Oakton Elementary welcomes 10 new teachers this year. "We are lucky to be getting mostly experienced teachers. They are from all over," said Principal Sara Acuff. Oakton is considering starting the Jason program this year, offering it to students in the form of a club, said Acuff.

Beginning in October, Oakton will be adding 24 parking spaces to its lot. Enrollment is similar to previous years, the school is expecting between 610-630 students, according to Acuff. Key goals for the school include identifying new and exciting strategies for working with the students, said Acuff. For example, teachers will introduce more difficult concepts at the beginning of the year in preparation for testing and to help the students learn better.

Stenwood Elementary

2620 Gallows Road

Vienna, VA 22180

703-208-7600

Principal: Laraine Edwards

Laraine.Edwards@fcps.edu

Web site: www.fcps.edu/StenwoodES/

Open House: Thursday, Sept. 1, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Back-to-School Night: Tuesday, Sept. 20

Ice Cream Social: Friday, Sept. 9, 7 p.m.

Stenwood will continue its special education preschool program, started last year, said Principal Laraine Edwards. Stenwood is not planning any physical changes this year. Enrollment is at 340 students, which is a little low compared to previous years, according to Edwards.

Stenwood has a few teachers transferring in from other county schools this year. The school continues to focus on learning and will continue to focus on becoming a professional learning community, for the benefit of both teachers and students. "This is a great school, we're going to keep it going forward with high expectations," said Edwards. Ensuring the students' success is another key goal this year at Stenwood.

Vienna Elementary

128 Center St., S

Vienna, VA 22180

703-937-6000

Principal: Jeanette Black

jeanette.black@fcps.edu

Web site: www.fcps.edu/ViennaES/

Back-to-School Night: Wednesday, Sept. 28, 7 p.m.

"Hooray for Diffendoofer" Day: Friday, Oct. 14

Teachers at Vienna Elementary School are looking forward to introducing the GRACE Arts program to its students from kindergarten to sixth grade this year, said principal Jeanette Black. GRACE Arts, a program developed by the Greater Reston Arts Council, teaches students art history in lessons that are connected to the curriculum.

Also, this year students in grades four to six will be tested on both math and reading in the SOLs, said Black.

“We are working to make sure the students are ready for the year,” she said.

No physical changes have been made to the building, said Black, but with an increase of 22 students to a total enrollment of 371, “we are wishing for a little more room,” she said.

Vienna Elementary will continue with the Cluster II focus on nonfiction writing this year, as well as professional learning communities development, said Black.

Students can look forward to a Grandparent’s Day celebration in October, she said.

Waples Mill Elementary

11509 Waples Mill Road

Oakton, VA 22124

703-390-7700

Principal: Dale B. Brooks

Dale.Brooks@fcps.edu

Web site: www.fcps.edu/WaplesMillES/

Open House: Sept. 1, 9-11 a.m.

Back-to-School Night: Sept. 22, 6:30 p.m.

Waples Mill welcomes several new preschool and general school teachers this year. The school will continue its compacted math program for the sixth grade and will look at character traits in all students, said Principal Dale Brooks. The school's carpet was replaced with white tile, giving the school a brighter look, according to Brooks.

Enrollment is slightly lower than last year at 844 students, but it is expected to rise by the start of school this year. "We will take a closer look at our PLC objectives this year," said Brooks regarding goals for the school year. The school will focus on collaboration and assessment, implementing the Benchmark Assessment Resource Tool, said Brooks. Last year, the school had a high number of students achieve pass/advance on SOL tests. "We plan to use the results as an opportunity to raise the bar," said Brooks.

Westbriar Elementary

1741 Pine Valley Drive

Vienna, VA 22182

703-937-1700

Principal: Jeanette Martino

Jeanette.Martino@fcps.edu

Web site: www.fcps.edu/WestbriarES/

Open House: Sept. 2, 1 p.m.

Back-to-School Night: Sept. 22, 7 p.m.

Westbriar has not added any new programs this year although the school has hired several new teachers and instructional assistants. Enrollment is about average, around 380, according to B.J. Walker, assistant to the principal. Westbriar's key goal is to maintain the standards and goals set by Fairfax County.

Wolftrap Elementary

1903 Beulah Road

Vienna, VA 22182

703-319-7300

Principal: Anita Blain

Anita.Blain@fcps.edu

Web site: www.fcps.edu/WolftrapES/

Back-to-School Night: Thursday, Sept. 22, 7 p.m.

New principal Dr. Anita Blain, coming to Wolftrap from Timber Lane Elementary in Falls Church, said that Wolftrap will continue its GT program for third and fourth graders. A GT center is located in the school so that students who qualify for the program do not have to attend another school. Over the next two years, the program will be extended to include fifth and sixth graders as well.

Students at Wolftrap Elementary will encounter several new staff members this school year, including a new principal, assistant principal and several new teachers. "It's going well," said Assistant Principal Craig Gfeller regarding construction at the school. Wolftrap's renovations are scheduled to be completed in January and include new classrooms, an improved cafeteria, gym, music room and landscaping in the front of the school, according to Gfeller. Enrollment is around 600 students.

"We align with Fairfax County [goals]. We have a great school and we will continue to be a world-class elementary school with high achieving students," said Blain. Other goals include maintaining parent involvement in the school, which is already fantastic, according to Blain. Blain said that she wants parents to know that with her as principal, the school will have a warm and nurturing learning environment.